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Local Authority Functions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021

Wednesday, 3 February 2021

Questions (282)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

282. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the budget allocation to each local authority for their building control functions in each of the years 2013 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of staff employed in each local authority funded through this budget allocation; and the mechanisms in place within his Department to ensure that building control authorities are adequately resourced, trained and conducting onsite inspections to fulfil both the spirit and the letter of the 2014 building control reforms in tabular form. [5435/21]

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Written answers

Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.

My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority. However, granular data, in terms of the specific role and function of each individual staff member, is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from individual local authorities.

 In regard to the mechanisms in place within my Department to support building control authorities, the National Building Control Management Project (NBCMP) is managed by the National Building Control Office (NBCO) within Dublin City Council (DCC) to provide oversight, support and direction for the development, standardisation and implementation of Building Control as an effective shared service in the 31 Building Control Authorities, through the five pillars of:

- Training: This includes the coordination, development and management of a training programme to support building control staff in the discharge of their duties.

- Inspections: This includes the development and implementation of a robust and consistent inspection regime in the 31 Building Control Authorities to facilitate meaningful risk-based targeted inspections of building works.

- nCompliance Support: This includes the provision of oversight and support across the full suite of Building Control Legislation to ensure transparent, professional enforcement of the relevant legislation in accordance with proper public administration.

- Information System - Building Control Management System (IS-BCMS): This includes the development and management of the information technology-based system hosted by the Local Government Management Agency which facilitates the electronic administration of building control matters by building control authorities as the preferred means of building control administration.

- Market Surveillance: The Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Act 2020 (Construction Products - Market Surveillance) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 682 of 2020) appoints DCC as a competent authority for the carrying out of market surveillance functions for construction products on a national basis, i.e. across all 31 administrative local authority areas.

The NBCO is a key element of my Department’s ongoing building control reform agenda, with its many initiatives that already provide a comprehensive roadmap for embedding a culture of real compliance within the construction industry. The reform agenda also includes amendments made to the Building Control Regulations and the ongoing development of new legislation through the Building Control (Construction Industry Register Ireland) Bill.

In this regard, my Department meets regularly with the NBCO and is represented on all of the associated committees and working groups.

In addition, my Department provides ongoing policy advice and support, including funding, where necessary, under each of the five pillars.

The NBCO may be contacted by phone at 01 222 7947/7948 or by email to support@nbco.gov.ie.

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